Israel kills dozens in Gaza as aid runs dry, baby formula shortage puts babies at risk

At least 32 Palestinians have been killed across Gaza since Wednesday morning in a new wave of Israeli airstrikes and gunfire, as the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave continues to deteriorate.

Twelve people were killed in a single strike on a home in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighbourhood. Elsewhere in northern Gaza, three more were killed.

In central Gaza, six people died in Nuseirat camp and four in Deir al-Balah. Seven others were killed while waiting for aid, now a near-daily occurrence in the war-torn territory.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that seven of its soldiers of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the Barak Division were killed in southern Gaza by the Qassam Brigades.

According to the Hebrew broadcaster  Kan, a troop carrier was struck by an explosive device, causing it to catch fire. Attempts to extinguish the blaze failed while the soldiers were still inside. Two other soldiers from the same battalion were injured earlier in the day in a separate incident.

The official number of Israeli soldiers killed since the war began in October 2023 now stands at 879, according to Israeli authorities.

Worsening humanitarian situation 

This comes as the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, after Israel imposed a full siege on the territory in early March, effectively blocking all humanitarian assistance from entering. It began allowing some aid to trickle in, but the process has been marred by chaos and bloodshed.

A US and Israeli-backed humanitarian aid mechanism which bypasses the UN has been slammed as a death trap by rights and humanitarian groups, as hundreds of Palestinians have been killed at its aid distributing sites since it started operating late May.

Humanitarian groups say the aid that is entering is far from enough. One essential item that is quickly running out is baby formula.

Already, around 60 children have been killed because of malnutrition in Gaza, and the territory’s remaining hospitals, which are still partially functioning, are struggling to treat patients as their resources dry up.

A source at the Nasser Hospital warned last week that hundreds of premature babies and infants were close to dying as baby formula runs out in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, and pharmaceutical warehouses.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, said on Tuesday he would have to take an "unprecedented decision" about the services it provides if funding was not found soon to ease a cash flow crisis. He said the agency faced a $200 million deficit.

"Cash flow is managed on a weekly basis," he told reporters in Berlin. "Without additional funding, I will soon have to take an unprecedented decision affecting our services to Palestinian refugees."

Lazzarini gave no further details of what that decision might entail.

Palestinian health authorities say the death toll from the war, which started on 7 October 2023, has exceeded 56,000 - mostly civilians - with thousands more believed to be buried beneath the rubble.

Despite mounting casualties, efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have yet to bear fruit. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump claimed that "great progress" was being made, linking potential breakthroughs in Gaza to recent US strikes on Iran.

"I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made," Trump said, suggesting the Iran strikes could have regional ripple effects.

Israel believes approximately 50 of the 251 captives taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 remain in Gaza, of whom 20 to 25 remain alive.